ISIS Killing Former Soldiers in Areas Around Mosul

ISIS has been reported to be using a fleet of trucks and minibuses to transport the civilian population of the area around Mosul into the city itself, which officials are saying they believe is a sign that ISIS intends to use them as human shields.

While the human shields thing is purely speculative, what appears to be more certain is that those former Iraqi military personnel that ISIS is coming across in their forced busing are being executed, with reports that some 40 were killed over the weekend and thrown into the Tigris River.

This has been a recurring concern for ISIS since the Mosul battle began. ISIS executed some of their own fighters in the lead-up when they were claimed to be working with the Iraqi government, and have been desperate to purge any other potentially disloyal elements around the city.

While the UN was harshly critical of ISIS for forcibly relocating people around Mosul, they have so far been mum on government warnings that civilians in Mosul not attempt to escape the city, warnings which came amid announcements that the US intends to launch airstrikes against “fleeing ISIS fighters.”